**"WELCOME TO THE FIRST TRIAL. THE PATH TO POTENTIAL BEGINS HERE."**
The voice resounded inside his skull. It sounded synthetic—too clear, too perfect. Every word was spaced exactly the same, like a recording being generated as it spoke. It was a tool built only to deliver information.
Ernan found himself standing alone. The place was dark, the ground a vast expanse of empty space. He scanned the area, his heart thundering against his ribs. Panicked, he looked down at himself. He wasn't a warrior. He wasn't wearing armor or carrying a shield. He was still wearing his favorite white sweater, the wool soft against his skin. He was still in his black jeans and his clean white shoes. He looked like a man headed to a casual dinner or a walk through the park, not a man about to fight for his soul.
"This is it," he whispered. "This is the trial she talked about."
Then, total silence. Ernan took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He looked up at the sky. It held only a few stars, but his eyes were drawn to a massive battle of light and shadow above him. A giant cluster of bright yellow dust swirled from the left, meeting a cluster of darkness from the right. Together, they formed a massive, glowing circle.
Ernan narrowed his eyes, trying to see the end of the swirling dust.
"What is that? A... a transparent barrier?" His eyes widened. He finally understood. This was a battle to the death, and he couldn't run. The barrier was there to keep them both inside. Just as his heart began to race in anticipation, a voice boomed inside his skull again, nearly giving him a heart attack.
**"DEFEAT YOURSELF TO GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE OF SELF."**
**"The God observes. He suggests the katana for your trial. Take it, or choose your own fate."**
In front of Ernan, a row of weapons appeared, floating in the air. He didn't hesitate; he just followed whatever was suggested by the voice. The katana became golden dust and flew into the air when his fingers touched its hilt, while the other weapons turned to silver sand and fell to the ground.
Ernan froze. Time seemed to slow down as fear took hold of him.
A few meters away, the ground began to rise. It took a human shape—feet, legs, a torso, arms, and finally a head. The creature was pitch black, covered in patches of glowing red lines that moved like lava. It was naked and featureless, with smoke rising from its skin as if it had just been pulled from a fire. The face was a perfect copy of Ernan's—except for the hundreds of jagged scars across its skin. Its eyes were entirely red, glowing faintly like hot coals. Its hair was long, matted, and messy.
Ernan took a shaky step back. The transformation had only taken ten seconds, but to him, it felt like an eternity. Suddenly, the doppelganger tilted its head back and opened its mouth wider than any human could. It raised its clawed hands and let out a deafening roar. It sounded like a thousand voices screaming at once.
It huffed, its chest heaving like a lion that had just chased down its prey. Then, it locked its red eyes on Ernan.
Ernan took another step back. Dark dust suddenly gathered in the creature's hand, solidifying into a long, black katana. At the same moment, Ernan felt a strange weight in his own hand. He looked down.
"When did I get this?"
He stared at the sword for only two seconds, but that was long enough for the monster to move. It was already rushing toward him.
"What?! I've never even held a sword before!" Ernan panicked.
He felt helpless. His opponent moved like a seasoned warrior, running with a terrifying, natural speed. As the monster closed the gap, it leaped into the air, gripping its katana with both hands. Ernan was frozen in terror. Before he could even think to move, he felt a splash of warm liquid on his cheek and a white-hot flash of pain in his shoulder.
"Ahhhhh! My arm!"
Ernan dropped his sword and grabbed his shoulder—or what was left of it. Blood poured out like a fountain. He collapsed to his knees, his mind spinning. How could he win like this? He had lost his arm in a single second.
"Please... just kill me," he sobbed, looking up at the monster. "Just take my head."
The doppelganger simply stood there, staring down at him with those cold, red eyes. It didn't move. It didn't show mercy. After a moment, it raised its sword again, preparing to strike the kneeling man. Ernan closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
*Defeat yourself?* he thought bitterly. *This isn't me. I'm not a terrifying monster. How could that voice call this thing 'myself'?*
He waited for the end, but instead of the sweet release of death, he felt another explosion of agony.
"Arghhhhhhh!" Ernan screamed, his eyes snapping open. He wasn't dead. His head was still on his shoulders.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he shrieked at the monster.
The creature had just sliced through his other forearm. It stood still now, the tip of its blood-stained blade pointing at the ground. Ernan winced, his eyes narrowing into slits as the waves of pain washed over him. A moment later, the monster moved again. It straightened its body and leveled the katana at Ernan's chest. With a sudden burst of force, it thrust the blade forward, stabbing Ernan through the upper right side of his chest. It pulled the weapon out and stabbed him again on the left.
Ernan slumped to the ground, his vision fading as the blood loss took its toll. He felt the monster grab his left leg. The world blurred as he felt his head dragging against the rough ground. The monster dragged him to the center of the dark expanse. Then, it drove the blade through both of his thighs before hacking his legs off completely. Ernan tried to scream, but all that came out was a low, weak growl.
"Curse you..." he wheezed. "I swear to the gods... I will... I will..."
Before he could finish, the monster swung the blade one last time, taking Ernan's head clean off his shoulders.
**"YOU HAVE FAILED YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT."**
"What? Am I not dead yet?"
Ernan opened his eyes—or perhaps he only tried to, for he could see nothing. He tried to extend his arms, but he felt nothing. He tried to move his feet, but there was no sensation of weight or ground.
*Where am I? Why can't I feel anything? Am I floating?*
**"WOULD YOU LIKE TO RETRY OR SURRENDER?"**
The memory hit Ernan like a truck. In his terror, he had forgotten the most important part of this nightmare.
"Oh, right," he whispered. "I remember now."
However, instead of joy, a heavy sorrow washed over him. He had a choice: continue and face merciless torture, or surrender and embrace eternal peace. His life flashed before his eyes—the happy moments with his family, his dreams, his goals, and the man he aspired to be.
After a long moment of silence, his resolve hardened.
"I'LL RETRY."
Wait... what? He felt strange. He felt as though he had spoken, but he couldn't hear his own voice. The words hadn't actually come out of his mouth. He realized his body was gone; he was nothing more than a ball of blue fire floating in an endless void. Ernan began to worry. He would have felt his heart racing if he still had one. Suddenly, a voice echoed, speaking directly to his soul.
**"THE GOD APPROVES. THE PATH REOPENS FOR A SECOND TIME. FIGHT UNTIL THE END."**
Bright white particles began to revolve around Ernan's soul. They swirled and re-formed. A torso took shape, followed by arms, thighs, a neck, and a head. Piece by piece, the rest followed.
The familiar sensations returned. Ernan felt the weight of his feet again. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in the exact same spot as his first attempt. But he was no longer the same Ernan. He was a version of himself that was slightly wiser, tempered by the memory of his own death.
The monster appeared a few meters away. Katanas materialized in both of their right hands. The monster bent its legs, gripping its weapon with both hands and holding the back of the blade near its right cheek. It rushed toward Ernan.
This time, Ernan was ready. He gripped his sword with both hands, pointing the tip upward. He planted his right leg forward and bent his left.
*Here it comes,* Ernan thought.
The monster swung, aiming for Ernan's left arm. Ernan gritted his teeth and, with a burst of adrenaline and instinct, managed to block the strike. The sound of clashing steel echoed through the void. For a moment, his mind went completely blank, clear as still water.
They broke the clash and stepped back. The monster swung again, but Ernan jumped back, narrowly dodging the blade. He turned and ran, creating distance.
*I need to figure out how to win this,* Ernan thought as the monster chased him down. *Let's see what you do after this!*
He skidded across the ground, his feet sliding as he made a sudden stop. He spun around to face the rushing monster. He tightened his grip and swung his blade at his closing opponent.
Ernan's eyes widened. His head tilted upward like a child watching an airplane.
"I didn't know he could do that," he whispered.
The monster had performed a perfect front flip over him to dodge the strike. While still upside down in mid-air, the creature unleashed a horizontal swing. Ernan's reaction was a second too slow.
The blade took his right arm. Before he could recover from the shock, the monster landed and rushed him again. Frozen in place by the sudden pain, Ernan lost his other arm to a second quick strike.
He looked down at his bloodied stumps and fell to his knees. The battle had lasted barely a minute.
"Curse you! Curse you!" Ernan screamed.
He raised his head to glare at the monster, but a cough of blood cut him short as the blade pierced his upper right chest. The ritual began again—the stabbing and the cutting, one after another.
"Curse you! Curse you!!" he shrieked, staring into the monster's red eyes until the very end.
**"YOU HAVE FAILED YOUR SECOND ATTEMPT."**